Thomas Armstrong's Blog, page 9

How to Become a Latebloomer in Your Fifties or Sixties (or Later)

When I was in my early thirties, I created an organization called Latebloomers.  It’s intention was to convey information to parents and teachers about honoring the different pace of learning in some children, and not placing strict timetables for reading, math, etc. on their development, since kids development at different times and places.  Now I’m […]

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Multiple Intelligences and the Problem of ”Dysteachia” in the Schools

Dr. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences suggests that there are ”learning disabilities” in each of the eight intelligences.  For Word Smart, there’s  ”dyslexia” or difficulty decoding the printed word.  For Music Smart there’s ”dysmusia,” when a person can’t sing on tune, has poor rhythm, and/or lacks a good musical memory. For Number/Logic Smart, there’s […]

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How Our Multiple Intelligences Develop Across Time

In a previous video, we looked at how the eight intelligences in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, develop as a result of nature (e.g. genetics etc.), nurture (e.g. education, parenting etc.), and culture (the broader social-historical context in which we find ourselves).  Adding to this understanding is the fact that each of the eight […]

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The Multiple Intelligences of Close Relationships

According to Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, each of us possesses eight different intelligences, including (the terms of mine): Word Smart, Number/Logic, Music Smart, Body Smart, Picture Smart, People Smart, Nature Smart, and Self Smart.  Some of these intelligences are highly developed in us and others less developed.  Each of us has our own unique profile […]

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The Multiple Intelligences of Dyslexia

The term ”dyslexia”  simply means ”trouble with words” in Latin.  But when we speak of dyslexics, we’re talking about individuals who primarily have difficulty decoding words, thus making the act of reading (and writing) an onerous task, unless and until they receive intensive instruction in phonemic awareness and other literacy skills.  However, while the ”deficit” is […]

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How Multiple Intelligences Can Make You Happy

Most people think of the theory of multiple intelligences as a cognitive model of learning; that is, a path guiding us to an understanding of how people think.  But I believe that there is an important affective purpose in using the theory, and that is, to make you happy.  It represents a picture of our […]

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How Do Gardner’s Eight Intelligences Develop in Us?

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences explains that each of us possesses at least eight or nine intelligences.  How do these intelligences come into being in the first place?  The question of where ”intelligence” as a singular phenomenon comes from has been hotly debated by psychometricians and other experts for decades.  Generally speaking, the debate […]

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The Multiple Intelligences of Autism Spectrum Disorder

The public perception of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that it is a disability.  However, when seen through the lens of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, the situation is more complex with both strengths and challenges serving as a truer picture of autism.  People identified with ASD usually have difficulty with […]

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Assessing Your 8 Kinds of Smart

Do you know your IQ?  Do you even care?  Howard Gardner at Harvard University says that IQ is far too limited a measure of a person’s human potential.  In his renowned theory of multiple intelligences, he came up with 8 and possibly even 9 intelligences that give a greater range of human accomplishment.  What are […]

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Multiple Intelligences in Other Species

There’s a growing awareness in the scientific community that animals are far more intelligent than we previously supposed (for an excellent summary of what’s known about ”animal cognition” click here).  Now we can expand our understanding of this field by connecting it to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.  Gardner says there are eight (or […]

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